If the thought of a Quinoa Salad doesn’t exactly rock your world, you and I will probably be friends. But being fully aware of the nutritional benefits of quinoa, I decided it was high time to grow up and start getting excited about it. Enter: My Favourite Quinoa Salad!
Quinoa Salad
I’m not going to lie to you. Put me in front of a salad bar, and you won’t see me pause for a beat in front of any option containing quinoa.
It’s not that I dislike quinoa as such. In fact, when cooked well (psst, toasting it certainly elevates it to loftier heights!), I’ll happily scoff it down plain, just like I do rice.
I think it’s more how it’s heralded so staunchly by “healthy” foodies, who insist it’s a superior alternative to rice and other grains we love that makes me – somewhat childishly! – want to not follow the trend.
Anyway, I finally grew up. So I’m here today with my favourite Quinoa Salad. I have eaten a LOT of quinoa salad in the past year, in a bid to get on board the quinoa train. And this is The One! Call it a “fusion” salad, call it a “mash-up” if you like. Whatever you call it, this Asian-inflected salad has it all going on!
What goes in Quinoa Salad
Here’s what you need for the Quinoa Salad:
Quinoa – I’ve used tri-colour quinoa here just for added extra interest, you can just use one type if you wish. Tri-colour quinoa is simply a mix of red, black and white quinoas. Both black and red quinoa have slightly more flavour than white quinoa;
Vegetables – No newcomers here. Just cabbage, red capsicum/bell pepper, cherry or grape tomatoes, carrot, cucumber and green onions;
Edamame – Also known as fresh soy beans. Buy them frozen, either in their pods or already shelled, and just prepare per the packet (usually a 5 minute boil); and
Wasabi peas – Our “treat” ingredient! Wasabi peas are dried peas flavoured with wasabi, that make delicious snacks. Regular readers know I always include a “treat” in salads, for textural interest and deliciousness. Whether it’s candied nuts, plain nuts, crispy-fried shallots, croutons to name a few … or crushed wasabi peas, in this case! Seriously don’t skip this. It’s the cherry on top!
They can usually be found in the Asian section of everyday grocery stores – they’re very popular these days! Sometimes they’re even in the general snack aisle! 😱
Quinoa Salad dressing ingredients
And here’s what you need for the Quinoa Salad dressing:
Mayonnaise – Before you get turned off by the inclusion of (a bit!) of mayonnaise in the dressing, hear me out!
First, there’s only 2 1/2 tbsp.
Secondly, it takes the place of some oil in this recipe and adds a lovely creamy note without any cream. So if you skip the mayo, you’ll need to substitute with more oil.
Thirdly, it’s Kewpie mayonnaise. Everybody knows it’s the best mayonnaise around!
Rice vinegar – Less sharp than most Western vinegars. Substitute with cider vinegar, sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar;
Oil – Any neutral-flavoured oil will do there. Grapeseed is a good option;
Mirin – A sweet Japanese cooking wine, we only need a tiny amount to add depth of flavour into the dressing;
Soy sauce – Light or all-purpose. Not dark soy, it’s too intense. More on different soy sauces here;
Sugar – To balance the flavours;
Toasted sesame oil – For that irresistible sesame flavour we all know and love!
Fresh garlic and ginger – Don’t skip these! They really add essential fresh punch to the dressing. 🙂
How to make this Quinoa Salad
Nothing groundbreaking here!!
1. Shake the dressing
Combine dressing ingredients in a container and shake! I like to use a jar, for maximum emulsification! (And useful storage 😇)
2. Cook the quinoa
Cheffy tip: toast the quinoa in the oven! It’s effortless, but makes it soooo nutty. It’s free flavour, don’t skip it!
Spread quinoa on a tray;
Toast in the oven for 15 minutes at 200°C/390°F. It will smell deliciously nutty when it’s ready!
Rinse briefly in a sieve or strainer. Why? To remove quinoa’s natural coating (called saponin), which can make it taste bitter or soapy. Boxed quinoa is usually pre-rinsed, but it doesn’t hurt to get into the habit of rinsing;
Scrape into a saucepan and add water;
Simmer on low for 15 minutes with the lid on; and
Rest 10 minutes – Once all the liquid has been absorbed, remove from the stove and rest for 10 minutes with the lid on. In this step, the quinoa absorbs residual water and becomes beautifully fluffy. If you skip this step, the quinoa will be watery.
Cool quinoa completely before making the salad.
3. Toss salad!
After all the preparing and chopping up all the vegetables, I always find this part so therapeutic!
Nothing tricky here, just throw it all into a (very!) big bowl, pour over dressing then toss enthusiastically. And I’m not just saying “enthusiastically” to be cute. I mean it. To get everything mixed up properly, you need to toss, toss, toss with gusto!
How to serve this Quinoa Salad
This is one of those salads I like to call meal-worthy. It’s got:
That interest factor;
It’s pretty – should I have called it 🌈Rainbow Quinoa Salad?!
It’s filling – and keeps you full. Thanks Mr Quinoa! And;
It’s totally more-ish. It’s an overused descriptor but there really is something about this salad that makes it highly addictive.
Just to illustrate – a response from my neighbour, after I took some over to them:
Being not too heavy and without proteins, it also absolutely has a place as a side salad. But I’ll be impressed if you make this as a side for a quick midweek dinner. Rather, I’m thinking you could take it to book club, or a pot luck, or have it as part of a salad spread for lunch with friends. It’s got the oomph to stand on its own two feet and certainly a step up from a basic garden salad! 🙂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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My Favourite Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Quinoa:
- 1 cup quinoa , tri-colour (or other colour, Note 1)
- 2 cups water
Salad:
- 1 cup cucumber , finely diced (Note 2)
- 1 carrot , medium, peeled and finely shredded (Note 3)
- 3 cups red cabbage , finely shredded (~1/4 small or 1/8 large cabbage)
- 2 green onions , finely sliced
- 250g/ 8oz cherry tomatoes , small ones quartered, large ones cut into 6
- 1 cup shelled edamame , cooked per packet then cooled (Note 4)
- 1 red capsicum/bell pepper , finely chopped
- 1/2 cup coriander/cilantro leaves , finely chopped
Dressing:
- 5 tbsp soy sauce , light or all-purpose (Note 5)
- 2 tbsp mirin (Note 6)
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (sub: cider, sherry or champagne vinegar)
- 2 tbsp sesame oil , toasted (Note 7)
- 2 1/2 tbsp canola, vegetable or grapeseed oil
- 2 1/2 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise (sub whole-egg mayo such as Hellman's or S&W, Note 8)
- 2 1/2 tsp sugar (white or brown)
- 2 tsp ginger , freshly grated
- 1 garlic clove , crushed using garlic press or finely grated using microplane
Garnishes:
- 1/3 cup wasabi peas , crushed (Note 9)
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds , toasted (Note 10)
Instructions
Cook quinoa:
- Toast for extra flavour: Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180° fan) Spread quinoa on a tray. Bake 15 minutes, stirring halfway, until it's lightly browned and smells nutty.
- Rinse: Transfer to fine mesh sieve or strainer. Rinse under running water for 10 seconds, shake off excess water well.
- Cook: Scrape into a medium saucepan. Add water, place lid on. Bring to simmer on medium heat, then lower stove to low and simmer for 15 minutes (or until all water is absorbed, tilt pot to check).
- Rest: Remove from stove (lid still on) and rest for 10 minutes.
- Fluff & cool: Remove lid, fluff quinoa with a fork and allow to fully cool before using. (Spread on a tray if you want to speed things up).
Salad:
- Dressing: Place ingredients in a jar and shake well.
- Toss salad! Place quinoa in a large bowl. Add all salad ingredients. Pour over dressing, toss very well.
- Garnish: Either transfer to a large serving platter or individual bowls. Sprinkle generously with crushed Wasabi Peas and sesame seeds. Devour!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Inspection of new herb and veggie garden underway! He approves. 👌🏻
A wonderful recipe and a good idea to try also with burgul.
I wonder will it be as good with green cabbage?
Loved this salad and the wasabi peas are a brilliant addition. I found the dressing a bit bland so added some kepap manis which lifted it up several notches .
So easy and delicious! The presentation is amazing with all the different colors, it looked beautiful on my Easter dinner table. The dressing is a definite keeper; this is the taste combination I crave, yet could never figure out. Thanks so much for a really pretty and tasty recipe!
Glad you loved it Char! Healthy and delicious is a win-win 🙂 – Nx
This now my favorite quinoa salad. Love the flavors and crunch. I couldn’t find wasabi peas, but did find wasabi almonds so had to make that sub, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I absolutely love making your food, Nagi. You’re the best!
So good!! I made this last week for family lunch at everyone wanted the recipe. Now the whole family are only using your website for inspiration as I have been making so many tasty delights, they’re all on board. But…back to this recipe. Amazing!! The flavours of the dressing are so refreshing and I loved the amount of veg in the salad. I used the leftovers for lunch for the next 2 days and it held up fine. This is now one of my “go to” recipes for salad.
Absolutely fabulous recipe, you never fail. It took great willpower not to go back for a third helping.
Thanks so much Patricia!!! N x
This is amazing! I don’t love quinoa at all, but this salad has me very happily converted. I followed the recipe exactly and was rewarded with a) quinoa that for once was cooked correctly and b) an outstandingly tasty salad. Yum!
Though I left out the cherry tomatoes and red pepper as hubby isn’t a fan of either, this recipe was delicious. I added cut up grilled chicken breast to the toss, serving it all over baby greens for dinner. A keeper for sure.
Hey Nagi! Once again you’ve NAILED it! I like to make salads like this for those nights where I work late and want something light. Wasabi peas are a perfect treat for this salad. Thank you for all that you do!
– Joey & Quynh
I’m so glad you love it!!! Thanks so much Joey & Quynh! N x
Hi Nagi. How much volume does the dressing add up to? (As in, what size jar would you recommend – And this info might be worth adding to your recipe.) Thanks.
Hi Neil, about 1 cup or 250ml. So any jar larger than this (at least 400ml volume) will work fine here. N x
I love making taboulleh with quinoa too much to agree that this is the best quinoa salad, but it was really good. The sesame dressing gives it a completely different flavor than other salads in my usual rotation.
Dear Nagi, I cannot source fresh edamame anywhere here in Thailand, can I substitute dried soya beans and what would the cooking time be?
What subs would you recommend for someone who does not love wasabi peas? Looking forward to trying this! Thanks Nagi!
Hi Sara, they really do make the dish, but you could add some nuts, seeds or even crispy fried onions for texture – N x
Made this salad tonight!! OMG, so good! The only issue I had was that 15 minutes at 390′ was way too long to cook the quinoa. I had to throw out the first batch. Second time around, I toasted the quinoa in a frying pan and it worked perfectly. Thank you for another amazing recipe. 👏
Oh no Dawn! Does your oven run on a little hot? N x
No, it’s been calibrated. Not sure why it burned🤷♀️
Nagi, I was a bit suspicious of such an amazing *quinoa* salad but trusted that you know what you are talking about when it comes to delicious 🙂 This was sensational! You are so right, it is so more-ish! It is so pretty and the flavours are just WOW! Thank you so much for the recipe and your amazing site. I really appreciate that every recipe is so detailed and you have thought of everything we might ask. 🙂
Thanks so much for the amazing feedback Emma, that’s so kind of you!! 🥰 N x
This looks yummy Nagi. About the raw garlic in the dressing, is it still best not to make the dressing too far ahead or eat the leftovers over several days?
Hi Rose, the problem is the garlic in the dressing, I would suggest the dressing only be kept for 3-4 days. N x
I went back for seconds.. twice! Another Five Star recipe. Thank you! (much love and a belly rub to Dozer too)
So so good. Best quinoa salad ever!! My kids, hubby and I devoured it. I see why u crushed the wasabi peas;) would have been too strong whole. Thanks Nagi for yet another keeper.
You’re so welcome Lorraine, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! N x
Nagi,
My spouse made your Quinoa salad last night for dinner. Absolutely fantastic!!!! To be honest, it is addicting! Thank you so much for such as wonderful recipe!
Sending you and Dozer much love from Estonia!
Barbara
I’m so glad you love it Barbara!!! That’s great to hear! N x
Is there a salad dressing i could buy so I dont have to make it and buy all those ingredients?
Thank you for all receipe i love it stay safe ,God bless
You could Lauren – then you’d be making a different salad 😂 N x
Lauren, You should go ahead and buy the ingredients. Believe me if you have these on hand you will be able to make all kinds of different recipes and dressings. I regularily use mirin, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil when making fried rice from leftovers. These ingredients won’t go to waste and will expand your recipe portfolio!